HD 6434

Starbox short
name=HD 6434
epoch=2000
constell=Phoenix
ra=1^h 4^m 40.15^s
dec=-39° 29' 17.58"
spectral=G2/G3V
appmag_v=7.72
dist_ly=131.5
dist_pc=40.34
names=CD-40°239, HIP 5054

HD 6434 is an 8th magnitude star in the constellation of Phoenix. It is a very Sun-like yellow dwarf star; but younger, being 3,200 million years old. Yellow dwarfs are not very luminous, so at a distance of 130 light years this star is not visible to the unaided eye. With binoculars it is readily visible under ideal observing conditions.

In 2000 a planet was observed orbiting the star.

HD 6434 b

Planetbox begin
name=HD 6434 bPlanetbox orbit
semimajor=0.14
eccentricity=0.17±0.03
period=21.998±0.009
ang_dist=4
long_peri=156±11
t_peri=2,451,490.8 ±0.6
semi-amp=34.2±1.1Planetbox character
mass=>0.39Planetbox discovery
discovery_date=2000
discovery_method=Radial velocity
discovery_site=CCPS
discoverers=Queloz et al.
discovery_status=Published

HD 6434 b is an extrasolar planet orbiting the star. It has a minimum mass about half that of Jupiter. It orbits the star very close, over 2.5 times as close as Mercury orbits the Sun. For this reason it completes one orbit in only 22 days. Unlike true "hot Jupiters" like 51 Pegasi b, HD 6434 b does not have a circular orbit, but rather an eccentric one.

By studying observations taken by the Hipparcos astrometric mission, a group of scientists proposed that the planet has an inclination of 179.9° (almost exactly face-on) and a mass of 196 Jupiters. If that was the case, the planet would be a red dwarf instead. However, the data was anything but conclusive, and statistically it is extremely unlikely to lie in such position. But because the inclination is unknown, so is the true mass of the planet. Still, it is very probable that the object is a true planet.

References

*cite journal | url=http://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full/2004/07/aa0250/aa0250.html | author=Mayor "et al." | title=The CORALIE survey for southern extra-solar planets XII. Orbital solutions for 16 extra-solar planets discovered with CORALIE | journal = Astronomy and Astrophysics | volume=415 | year=2004 | pages=391–402 | doi=10.1051/0004-6361:20034250

External links

* [http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/Simbad SIMBAD] [http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/sim-id.pl?protocol=html&Ident=HD+6434 star entry] , [http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/sim-id.pl?protocol=html&Ident=HD+6434+B planet entry]
* [http://www.obspm.fr/encycl/encycl.html The Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia] [http://www.obspm.fr/encycl/HD6434.html entry]
* [http://www.extrasolar.net Extrasolar Visions] [http://www.extrasolar.net/planettour.asp?StarCatId=normal&PlanetId=141 entry]